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Alexander Gould, Dagmara Dominczyk, David Abbott

While preparing for the examination of her Master Degree in Psychology, Julia Lund (Laura Regan) is called by her friend from childhood Billy Parks (Jo Abrahams) to meet him in a bar. They both had ni...( read more  read more... )ghtmares when they were children, and Billy is totally disturbed with demons from the dark that would be chasing him and commits suicide in front of Julia. The traumatic experience, plus the meeting with two friends of Billy, Sam Burnside (Ethan Embry) and his girlfriend Terry Alba (Dagmara Dominczyk), in the funeral make Julia having nightmares again. When Sam tells her that they four have been tagged in their childhood, and demons are coming to get them to the darkness, Julia becomes afraid of the dark and asks for help to her boyfriend Paul Loomis (Marc Blucas).

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33% liked it

9,882 ratings

Critics

37% liked it

54 critics

R

Directed by: Robert Harmon

Release Date: November 27, 2002

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DVD Release Date: June 1, 2003

Stats: 535 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (535)

  • armybratgeo
    April 5, 2009
    armybratgeo
    Hm, typical Wes Craven. Not to bad actually, just not good enough for me. This was a bit dragged out and a little confusing sometimes. The cast was pretty descent, I just think the overall execution was a bit boring. This reminded me a little of the Bogeyman movies and I really d...( read more)idn't like them either. But it was ok to fill a sleepy afternoon.
  • kiriyamakazou
    August 18, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    I've heard the original script is brilliant and inventive. So thank God 10 writers were brought in to come up with this seen it all before cack. Poor performances all round, when a lead actress in a horror can't act scared it's time to pull the plug. Add to that the fact the chaa...( read more)rcter is a whiny little annoying bitch who continues to go into the dark just makes her a twat. Get angry at your boyfriend for having a few drinks, blame somebody for scaring you when you walk around backwards in basements, but don't expect me to give a shit if you die or not. The creatures are are rather effective until the brief spots of light reveal them to be CGI evil. I could go on about the bad points such as a funny suicide and the fact that everybody else is killed swiftly but when the protagonist is attacked she can fight them off for a good 10 minute finale. Don't waste your time.
  • PvtCaboose91
    May 14, 2008
    PvtCaboose91
    "They hide in the dark so you can't see them."


    The horror genre is comfortably separated into two different categories. The first is of course the mindless, gory horror fest when the objective is not to scare the audience but fill the screen with far too much disturb

    ...( read more)ing gore. The second category is the horror film low on violence and gore. Instead this is replaced with spine-chilling moments and effective thrills. When done properly, both categories can produce some good work. They is certainly part of the latter. Toned down to a PG-13 rating in America; this film is not for those who crave gory horror films such as Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street.


    While They had an interesting premise that plays on the genuinely recognisable human fear of the dark it was ultimately a bland and predictable entry to the horror genre.


    After an opening sequence that effectively sets the tone for the film, we are then introduced to a graduate student of psychology named Julia Lund (Regan) who is currently studying for her masters. She is pulled into the psychological problem of her childhood friend Billy (Abrahams) who endlessly drones on about staying in the light and how "they" are out to get the both of them. Naturally at first Julia believes that this is mindless ranting without any fact. It's only after one of Billy's worst episodes that she finally realises that Billy might not be totally insane. As the arachnid demons living in the dark get more persistent, Julia begins to talk to some of Billy's friends as they attempt to find a way around their seemingly inevitable fate.


    The premise of They is an expansion on the typical childhood fear of the dark. Every child goes through the phase of being terrified of the dark. The creatures in this film can only attack in the dark and when no-one else is around. Of course, kids watching this will probably never sleep again. There are a number of genuinely spine-chilling moments throughout the film. Even more surprisingly is that the film is actually scary at times. If you watch it in a dark room with the lights out on a rainy night, be prepared for one pretty terrifying experience.


    For a tame, watered-down horror film it's a necessity that the film must carry some solid filmmaking. I have no complaints about the directing or the cinematography. Unfortunately some of the scares might also trigger a bit of laughter due to some awkward framing.


    I had my reservations about the cast. Complaints were limited when it came to Laura Regan in the leading role. Her fear and motivations are palpable during the more intense horror scenes. On the contrary there are several instances when more acting is required. She also looks a bit too cute, even when she's meant to look terrified. This is another case of Hollywood choosing an attractive actress as opposed to an actress that perfectly suits the part.


    They is cheesy; however its atmosphere is solid and scary. There are plenty of opportunities for the audience to be at the mercy of the filmmakers; not knowing what will happen next but aware that a scare is about to occur. Some of the scares are predictable albeit still quite chilling at times. Whenever the lights are terminated and the shot darkens we know that something terrifying is about to happen.


    One of the film's flaws is in its gross predictability. At least 60% of the scares can be predicted before they occur. The film is slightly uplifted by its unconventional ending. It's extremely clever to stay away from the clichés when it comes to horror. Although the conclusion is slightly unsatisfying, at least the filmmakers weren't afraid to stay away from the genre clichés.


    They is a decent entry to the horror genre. It's far from brilliant but the pasting it took was grossly unnecessary. For me the film was atmospheric and scary despite being corny and predictable. Worth seeing. "Presented" by Wes Craven.
  • MalumMosIncrebresco
    January 30, 2008
    MalumMosIncrebresco
    Well, They kinda suck.
  • PC79
    January 22, 2008
    PC79
    not one of his best ones, but it was pretty good. You could tell that it was a Craven production.
  • ElCochran90
    September 14, 2009
    ElCochran90
    Was I supposed to be either scared or surprised?

    35/100
  • shellygurl347
    August 14, 2009
    shellygurl347
    It started out really good but lost it right near the end. - Think I will always remember this film most for the debate me and my high school drama teacher had about it. I wrote a paper on it and he was convinced that I had to have gotten the title wrong and no movie with this ti...( read more)tle existed.
  • f1ery2006
    June 14, 2009
    f1ery2006
    Add a review (optional)...
  • knighttalis
    March 11, 2009
    knighttalis
    The alternate ending is much better, it gives you a sense of a good mind mess on the part of the character.
  • bbliumis
    February 7, 2009
    bbliumis
    a very mediocre thriller with very good sound design.

View All They Reviews

Critic Reviews

November 29, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

A perfectly acceptable, perfectly bland, competently acted but by no means scary horror movie. full review

November 29, 2002
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

They has a low-budget, generic feel -- but also enough sense to know that unseen menace is a lot creepier than explicit gore. full review

November 28, 2002
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

What it lacks in originality it makes up for in effective if cheap moments of fright and dread. full review

View more They reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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